Three of Europe’s elite clubs are set to go head-to-head this summer as they look to snap up Borussia Monchengladbach’s breakthrough star Manu Kone, but will have to stump up a minimum of 50m euros to do so.
Kone has starred for the Bundesliga outfit this campaign, with the 21-year-old racking up 24 starts in the heart of the Gladbach midfield in the German top flight.
A French U-21 international, he was thought to be catching the eye of Liverpool as a potential alternative to Jude Bellingham should they fail to land the Englishman this summer, but it seems that they will not be alone.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, all of Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain are all keeping tabs on the youngster as they all look to bolster their own ranks.
Graham Potter’s side have already invested heavily in Enzo Fernandez, but will be seeking a partner for him in midfield amid contract uncertainty surrounding Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount this summer.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are also hunting for options in central areas after they were again given the cold shoulder by no.1 target Frenkie de Jong, with Marcel Sabitzer on loan until the end of the season and Christian Eriksen now in his twilight years.
Kone is naturally a box-to-box midfielder and ranks similarly to Moises Caicedo [according to FBREF], meaning that while a 50m price tag appears steep, it could in fact prove a bargain compared to the seemingly excessive fee that the Brighton man is going to demand when he eventually moves on.
At just 21 years old, whoever snaps him up could have a key part of their midfield set for the next decade.
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